News
Puttalam hit by worst floods since 2016
View(s):By Hiran Priyankara
The Puttalam district was heavily affected by floods due to the over-flowing of tanks and the Deduru Oya, leaving 22708 persons of 6969 families in 140 grama niladhari areas affected, and causing two deaths.
The Puttalam District Secretary, H.M.S.P Herath, said that Pallama, Chilaw and Arachchikattuwa divisional secretary areas have been affected, with over 1000 houses under water.
He said that this was the biggest flood they have faced since the Deduru oya flooding in 2016.
Mr. Herath pointed out that the adverse weather situation mostly affected the Puttalam Divisional Secretariat area, where 2312 persons of 6136 families were affected as the flood water doesn’t properly recede. Apart from that, the Nodumkulam tank too has overflowed.
He explained that the floods have aggravated due to constructions obstructing the places where water used to flow away.
In the Mundalama divisional secretariat 3635 persons from 992 families were afflicted. Four grama Niladhari areas in Pallama divisional secretariat area too have been affected as 1121 persons of 343 families were flooded out by the Deduru oya.
He added that the Wennappuwa Grama Niladhari area too faced floods, leaving 2474 persons in 24 Grama Niladhari areas distraught.
According to Mr. Herath persons in Chilaw and Kalpitiya too were afflicted while 1618 persons in Arachchikattuwa were inundated by flood water.
He said that Dankotuwa, Mahawewa, Nattandiya, Wanathawilluwa, Karuwalagaswewa and Madampe divisional secretariat areas too were affected- 2874 persons from 60 grama niladhari divisions. District Secretary Herath added that they are providing cooked meals for 1500 persons affected.
However, residents said that though the irrigation department engineers have managed the water level in Inginimitiya and Tabbowa reservoirs by slowly releasing water to avoid floods, the irrigation officials in charge of Deduru Oya have failed to do the same, thus inconveniencing people in Puttalam and Kurunegala Districts. After the sluice gates were opened, a larger number of people got affected.
The District Disaster Management Officer B.V Chaminda Kumara added that the affected are held in safe locations and are provided cooked meals. They would be sent back to their homes once water recedes.
Farmers in Puttalam also lamented that a huge amount of cultivated land is submerged under water, resulting in crop damage.
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